Our holiday in Portugal

I hope you all have a good summer. Bonnie, Frank and me visited Portugal for our vacation. It was a very good place to go for us I think. We arravie in Oporto, in Northern Portugal late one evening and stayed at an airport hotel for the nigth. It was really nice that we all went together.

The next day we traveled south to a town called Curia. There we stayed in an old and grand hotel with a nice pool and a lovely garden. We stayed in Curia for a few days and it was really nice.

Our next stop was a palace in the mountains. It is such an fantastic buliding and I liked it a lot. The assistant called it faded charm, but then I think I like faded charm. Wellington stayed at the place in 1810 or there about and during the last big war the place was where spies meet. I felt very at home there.

 By the way, I told the assistant that I didn't have to be in all pictures....hmmm.... well... you see what happend. The assistant... doesen't listen all that well....

Breakfast at the lovely Bussaco Hotel.

From the lovely hotel in the maountains we had a trip to the sea. Portugal has very nice beaches I think, and there are very few people..and hardley any bears there. I think the reason is that the water in the Atlantic Ocean is not very warm, but if you are not there for the ocean you will love it I think. I enjoyed the sun and beach and did some sunfading. I can not stay long in the sun as I fade very fast.

 We saw many nice places and one of my favourite towns must be Stripy Town or Costa Nova as they call it in Portugal. Most of the houses in the coastal town are stripy and they all have very happy colours. I had an ice cream there and a very happy time.

 

 From Stripy Town we drove a long way north to the Douro Vally and where the Port Wine comes form. It was a long drive trough many samll villages on wiggley roads. 

After a long day we could see the famous Douro River and Pinhao where we had booked room at a quinta, that is where they make the wine. 

The train station in Pinhao

If you are interested in the wine making of the Douro Vally you can read my column in Fauxgue Magazine later this year. I tasted lots of wine and had a great time in the Douro Vally. 

Me in Casa Musica in Oporto

The Douro River meets the Atlantic Ocean in Oporto and that is where we spent our last days. It is a great city with faded charm and very modern and fancy things too. I liked the new Casa Musica and the cable car on the Vila Nova de Gaia side of the river.

Us in the cable car.

We did a bit of shopping in Oporto and I nearly go a scooter. I got some cake instead and that was really good cake. Portugal has so many diferent cakes and all taste good... I am sure.

There are so many more things I could tell you form our holiday but I end here with a picture of me at the place where the Douro River ends and blen with the Atlantic Ocean.